Lacrimas Profundere
Ave End

THE REVIEW

The German band Lacrimas Profundere, initially heavily influenced by doom and old-school gothic (think of the beautiful "Memorandum"), started shifting, after a few albums, towards more gothic-rock sounds. It brings to mind the shift of Paradise Lost, and conceptually we're not that far off (this is the only comparison between the two bands). Already from "Burning: A Wish" the atmosphere changes: growls soften, screams too, as the deep and warm clean voice of singer Schimdt slowly but surely emerges, which from then on takes over. This explains the good "Fall, I Will Follow" and the present "Ave End". This premise should not alarm you: if it's true that the band has become a bit softened and commercialized (a word I use with a bit of disgust, but it serves to convey the idea), the quality of the album is all in all more than sufficient (in school it would be a C+), certainly better than the subsequent albums.

Let's get the ball rolling then. The opening "One Hope's Evening" is a good appetizer of what awaits us. The charming voice of the singer (which, it must be said, knows its stuff), an excellent chorus charged with the already well-known (to those who listen to Lacrimas) mixture of anger and melancholy, and a general autumnal flair in the proceeding masterfully sketched by the piano touches and the autumnal bursts of the guitars, which after an acoustic break explode again with all their expressiveness.

Like leaves carried by wild gusts, we take on the exquisitely gothic-rock melodies of the title track. The rhythm is one heard many times before in a landscape far from devoid of similar offerings (HIM, 69 Eyes, the (ex) Sentenced), but the Germans have an excellent foundational technique and a very versatile and emotionally engaging singer. The rhythmic "Ave End" alternates between more aggressive moments and more reflective ones, but it flows beautifully, leaving a bittersweet taste in the mouth (and memories).

Up to the fourth track included ("Sarah Lou"), the album doesn’t suffer from particular slowdowns, allowing itself to be listened to very pleasantly without giving off tedious "déjà vu" sensations. A small dip ("Amber Girl"), followed by the first lovely ballad, "Testified". It is in these pieces perhaps that the mood of the new German course emerges with greater strength: when they distance themselves from the pomp of goth rock and venture towards tree-lined avenues whose dead leaves lay on the ground, like a soft and warm carpet, that's when they know how to touch and move, just as they did with their doom in "Memorandum".

In this scheme, I highlight "Wake Down", a nerve-wracking requiem that drains from Schimdt's voice, incisive and terse like the electric thrusts, which then gradually gather pace and revive a track that seemed destined for darkness. I particularly highlight the concluding "Come, Solitude", a poignant and melancholic voice-piano epitaph, a triumph of sadness perhaps a bit manneristic, but certainly interpreted and staged with great class. A melancholic piano progression accompanies the beautiful voice of the singer, here perhaps at his peak in terms of subdued performance.

Amidst these tracks just described, other episodes of goth rock: perhaps only significant is "Astronautumn", the most abrasive of the lot, in which we also have several interventions with affected vocals, on the edge of growl/scream, which certainly benefit qualitatively a piece that might otherwise have gone somewhat unnoticed.

The C+ thus in my view is well-deserved, whether for the great esteem I have for the group (who, as already mentioned, after this album, fell into a sad self-repetition and imitation of certainly inferior bands), whether for the value of past albums, or anyway for the actual caliber of the album. Direct, with few frills, a wink to the market, but with much heart, passion, and artistic ability: these are the Lacrimas Profundere of "Ave End".